Who Dare to Live
by Dementian
Summary: Sequel of Who Dare to Lie. As Yusuke and the others try to move on after Hiei's death, a dark presence fills their lives. Yet through the confusion and terror a pathway forward is shown. Will Yusuke have the courage to take it, or will he be stunted by fear... of the dead.
1. Chapter 1

Fall had come once again to Sariashiki, Japan, and the seasonal storms from the Pacific were washing the streets clean with a pounding rain. The wise traveler knew to take cover during tropical storms, and the weather department had issued a flood warning for the southern half of japan till the following morning. Schools and businesses had closed early, and the streets were completely abandoned save for the occasional police car that drove past with its sirens on. Over the loudspeaker, a droning message could be heard: "The National Weather Service has issued a severe flood warning for Sariashiki prefecture. All highways and interstates have been closed until morning commute. Please keep all pets indoors and secure any loose objects. In the event of flooding, move to higher ground immediately. Do not attempt to drive, or stay in your house. The National Weather Service has issued a severe flood warning for Sariashiki prefecture."

Yusuke Urameshi was not afraid of a little rain, but this was getting out of hand.

"Fucking hell!" Yusuke cursed, using his shop broom to sweep water out the door. It kept pouring in with every slash of wind that ripped by the shop. A sheet of dirty sewage from the train tracks above was sloshing down the steep slope to the parking lot below, and the water level was now up to Yusuke's car tires. He'd made Keiko go home two hours before when the weather started to look menacing, but now he was manning a shop by himself that was taking on more water than a shrimp boat in a hurricane.

The broom was useless, that much was obvious, and Yusuke desperately tried to close the outer doors to the shop. Yet water kept pouring, and he howled with exasperated defeat. Snatching his cook hat off of his head, Yusuke threw it to the ground and stamped on it angrily. There was no use. His shop was going to fucking flood.

Abandoning the front, Yusuke made a beeline for behind the bar to grab any valuables off the bottom shelves before water got to them. He saw several electric circuits hiding under his gas range, and panicked at the thought of an explosion! He wrenched open the switch panel underneath the sink, shutting off all electricity just as a small pool of water flooded behind the bar. The shop went dark, the range went cold, and Yusuke heaved a sigh as he rose up to survey his shop.

"...Fuck my life." Yusuke muttered.

His stomach growled, as if in agreement.

It was just as well, he hadn't eaten all night since he'd been attempting to keep fucking _Poseidon _from coming through the front door. He certainly wasn't going to get any damn customers tonight, and so he decided to make dinner for himself. Any cooking would require a wood burning top, so Yusuke shredded up a few old newspapers for makeshift tender.

"...What to make, what to make." Yusuke murmured to himself, furrowing his brow with deep thought. He wanted something warm that would keep him full through the night- perhaps a soup.

It came to him without much hesitation. He'd make bitter melon soup, if only for old times sake.

Bitter melon soup was a love or hate dish. Customers either despised or adored it, simply because the bitter melon was _bitter. _Originally a traditional vietnamese dish, bitter melon soup had made its way over to japan through chinese immigrants during the race rush of the 1800s. It's common name was 'kho qua' which didn't mean either bitter or melon. _Kho _roughly translated to 'hardship' and _qua _in the context of _kho _meant the past. The cultural influence of bitter melon soup constantly reminded the eater of life's ups and downs, never letting one forget life's bitterness.

Yusuke knew a thing or two about the bitterness of life.

A year ago, his shop had been occupied by two old friends, who'd come for a traditional sunday dinner when all others had gone home to sleep. They'd been interrupted by a third friend who bore shocking news... and life had never been the same since.

Yusuke pulled out a large pot, filling it with water and lighting his shredded newspaper over his grilling range. Setting the pot to boil, Yusuke headed to the pantry to fetch the needed supplies.

It had been a difficult year.

Winter had brought nothing but cruel hardship. Christmas had been bleak, and barely celebrated... birthdays had passed without much thought, and the return of spring was practically unnoticed. Everything seemed dull, as if all the color in the world had been muted by the passage of time. Yusuke had grown oddly introverted, yearning only for the company of those who understood his new bitter outlook on life. Keiko as always had stood by his side. While she had been saddened, she had not mourned and therefor was the sole breadwinner for a few months while Yusuke recovered from the shock of last November. It was hardly an inconvenience-her salary was fine enough pension for the pair of them- and now with the shop re opened loyal customers were flocking to return for favorite meals. Business had been good... but his personal life had suffered greatly.

Yusuke dropped medium length bitter melons into the now boiling pot, allowing them to blanch for about one minute. The coloring turned from light green to dark green, and Yusuke removed both melons to allow them to cool. He brought the pot of boiling water to a simmer; it would later be good stock. When cool to the touch, he sliced the melons cross wise. Using a large spoon, he dug between the green outer flesh and the center white pitch to scoop out the seeds and pulp in a circular motion.

Yukina and Kuwabara were now solidly living together in Kuwabara's apartment. He'd finally moved into his own place only a block or so away from Keiko and Yusuke's apartment, so that the pair often shared dinners and late night chats without much problem. It had been essential earlier in the year for Yukina to socialize with someone- anyone- for she had grown reclusive and weak as if ill. It was difficult to take her to a doctor when she was a demon, but Genkai had been able to diagnose her with depression easily enough. Taking herbal supplements to help stabilize her mood, Yukina now spent most of her time rocking babies at the NICU center in Sariashiki Hospital across town. Unknownst to human doctors, Yukina nursed the weak infants with her healing ki and gave them hope for a normal life. It was good for her to get out of the house- yet even so she seldom smiled anymore. Keiko had tried to keep Yukina's spirits up by helping her plan her own wedding. The pair of them had now taken to cutting out ideas from magazines and papers which they stored in a shoe box. It was a healing, therapeutic exercise... but sooner or later they were going to need a bigger box. The old one was practically overflowing.

Yusuke and Keiko had re planned their wedding for the spring. Hopefully, this one would go off without a hitch.

But it wouldn't be the same.

Nothing would be the same, really.

Adding peeled shallots to the water and bringing the stock to a boil, Yusuke contented his time with stuffing the shells of bitter melons with broken pork. It was a soothing process, and the smell was comforting as he finally brought the water and stock to a boil. He added the stuffed bitter melons and covered the pot, reducing the heat to a low by suffocating his little fire. In the fifteen minutes that followed, Yusuke did not move far from behind the bar so as to be on hand if the fire needed more paper for fuel. His eyes roamed from corner to corner, adjusting to the darkness as he shivered a little in the cold.

It was amazing how a place could change from warm and light to dark and cold. It had nothing to do with the rain or lack of power; everything to do with the pain in his chest and the lack of friends around his table. He had imagined at the end of his career as a spirit detective that the worst of his battles were over. He'd even deluded himself into thinking that life would be pleasant. But the buddhists had it right; life was full of suffering. The only peace one would find would be through death.

The bitter melon soup rattled with steam, ready to be eaten. Yusuke ladled himself a bowl, and ate it without pleasure as his shoes filled with water.

The hours crept to dawn, and Yusuke spent his time sweeping water out the door as the rain lessened. The storm was leaving with knocked over trash cans and drowned streets in its wake. By the time that the final storm cloud had crept back behind the horizon, the sun was almost up and it was time for Yusuke to close up shop. Tonight had earned him nothing save for a soaking shop, and it was with a heavy heart that he chained the front doors. Today, later in the afternoon, he would return to finish cleaning the shop before the next nights customer spree.

He was soaked in dirty water, and his wet jeans scraped roughly against his skin. Shivering in the pale morning light, Yusuke lit up a spare cigarette that was slightly damp and rubbed his face as he mounted his apartment steps. He was exhausted, and his stomach grumbled with ill content from his poor bitter melon soup. By the time he'd reached the top floor where his apartment lay, he was ready to crawl in the bed and not roll out till shitty winter faded into summer. He reached his front door, slowly sliding the old brass key into the lock and swinging it open. The hallway had been remodeled in his absence last year, and showed no sign of ever having been trashed. Yet at one time, Kuwabara had fought bitterly, breaking through the barrier that separated the front hallway from the living room and knocking an entire pot rack off from above the kitchen stove. Yusuke closed the door, toeing off his shoes and peeling out of his jeans. His boxers were rather moist, and his loins were cold from the grueling night; Yusuke pulled back the sliding door in the long dark hallway to the bedroom where Keiko was no doubt asleep to toss his jeans into the washing machine. He didn't bother with soap flakes, just setting the machine on a simple level and closing the sliding door again as he let out a massive yawn.

"You okay?"

Yusuke jumped, taken aback as Keiko suddenly appeared in the gloom leaning against the hallway wall. She'd come out of no where, perhaps slinking down the carpet while he'd been throwing his jeans into the wash. Yet like all things that appeared suddenly, she captivated him and made him pause in awe. Her hair was long now, pulled back in a messy bun that stuck out in odd angles from being squashed on a pillow. Her face was splotched, slightly red from heat and sleepy eyed. She was unkempt and oddly beautiful in an ugly way. Her arms were about him, covering his cold chest and warming him in a way that only she could.

Yusuke did not answer her straight away, simply holding her as best he could. That was all a man could truly aim to do in life; hold their love and hold them tight.

Keiko sniffed, leaning back to look him in the eye.

"You okay?" She repeated again.

Yusuke shrugged, unable to answer her.

"...I'm tired." He whispered, his voice hoarse. He knew she could smell the cigarette smoke on his breath but for her credit she said nothing. Perhaps in light of the past year a cigarette was excusable. Hell he could probably smoke a pack and she wouldn't care.

Their priorities had shifted.

Kissing her fondly upon the mouth, he turned to stumble down the hallway and exit into the black bedroom where he fell unceremoniously onto the bed. He shrugged off his shirt and boxers, sleeping in the nude without care.

In the hallway, Keiko opened up the washer once more to dump a little soap in. Unknownst to Yusuke who was already fast asleep, she took his shirt and boxers from the floor and added them to the wash as well. His day was ending, hers was beginning, and so their life went. So it had gone from the day that he'd returned broken hearted and one party member short. He ruled the night, she courted the day, and sometime between the hours of morning and midnight... they met once again in the hallway of their little apartment to kiss and ask the same question 'you okay'.

She'd not known Hiei all that well.

When she had been fourteen, Hiei had attempted to use her as a ploy for Yusuke's attention. This was long before Hiei would join their ranks as a friend an ally. Back then, he'd been considered a threat and even evil. Yet if Hiei had taught Keiko one thing in the time that she'd known him, it was that no man was truly evil to the core. In each and every supposed villain there was a nugget of goodness... a touch of sweetness that kept the blackness at bay.

He'd been a wild card, angry and insolent. He'd been detached and crude, even callouss. He'd been an ugly soul and rude to those who thought of him as a friend.

And yet his absence had brought a hole that Keiko could not label nor patch away.


	2. Chapter 2

"It's not much" Kuwabara admitted, reaching forward and stroking a massive beam which supported the dojo ceiling, "But it will do."

Kazuma Kuwabara was a man of many talents, and one of them happened to be a keen eye for property. For the past year he'd been saving up every yen he earned from odd jobs in the high hope that one day he would be able to purchase a particular abandoned dojo which had sat for years atop a rather steep hill on the west side of Sarashiki. The fact of the matter was Kuwabara loved science and animals but not nearly as much as he loved fighting, and what better way to work than to do something you loved? So he'd set his sights on becoming a Shotokan instructor, and had quickly earned his ranks among the masters. What could he say, he had a talent... and in truth no human could outpace demons like Toguro.

Kuwabara was a diligent man, hard working and disciplined. He'd easily gotten the money once he cut back on certain monthly pleasures like going to the movies and or eating out. Yukina hadn't minded... because Yukina hadn't been social.

Yukina hadn't been much of anything.

After Hiei's death, Yukina had closed off her beautiful and fragile world like a clam hardened by a life in the waves. For months, she'd sat in the bedroom of their tiny apartment with her stoic and beautiful face turned towards their single window. She'd look out, waiting to see something or hear something that would change her fate. Yet the tree beside their apartment remained without company and no black shadow flitted to the ledge at night to give her comfort. The warmth was sucked out of her touch, fleeing her tiny soul so that she was left like a porcelain doll: beautiful and charming on the outside but hollow just underneath.

Kuwabara was a one woman man. He'd set eyes upon a beauty whose tragedy had become his purpose. In the light of change and grief, nothing had been shifted for him. She was still his Yukina, his lovely and perfect companion.

So they stood arm in arm, walking around inside the dojo which Kuwabara had admired from afar for so many years. Kurama had joined them at Kuwabara's request, and he kept time with their steps only a few feet behind as he silently regarded the dusty floors, the cobwebbed beams above. This place would need to be cleaned thoroughly, but it would do well as a school given that it was large and warm. Students would feel comfortable here, and could learn from Kuwabara's skill. All the dojo needed was time and care, which Kuwabara could easily give. After all, Kuwabara was a passionate man.

"Over fifty years old!" The real estate agent bowed respectfully as he spoke, ushering Kuwabara and Yukina from room to room, "It was closed during world war two and never re opened. Her original master died in the fighting."

They entered into a smaller room that was full of old equipment rotting with age. These would have to go, they were too dangerous to be used with small children.

"Ehheeh..." The real estate agent tugged at his tight collar nervously, sliding the paper door shut to the cluttered room. "Never mind there, that's just old space."

"This whole place is old space." Kurama warned from behind, sniffing tentatively at the storage room. He could smell mold. "Kuwabara are you sure that this is the dojo you want? You've worked very hard to gain your small fortune, you shouldn't waste it on a building that isn't worthy."

"Just because a building is old, does not mean she is not worthy." Kuwabara smiled at his red headed friend. "I am willing to do the work required of me to make her a great dojo. All she needs is a wet rag or two. We can take out the trash ourselves."

"The spirit of a true karate master!" The real estate agent added enthusiastically. the truth of the matter was no one had taken the property for as long as he'd been in business and if he could just get it off his hands he might even be able to squeeze a raise out of his own boss.

It was an overcast day where everything seemed to have a dull green tinge and the birds were unusually quiet. Storms were coming soon, and Urameshi better hurry up if he didn't want to be caught in the rain on his motorcycle. He'd said he would join Kuwabara, Kurama and Yukina to look at the dojo yet it was almost noon and he'd still not arrived. They were planning on getting lunch afterwards, but they might have to hold off if Urameshi didn't hurry up.

Yukina was getting tired. This was a common occurrence as of late. It seemed that all her energy drained out of her when she had to be in public or entertaining others, and so Yukina sat down atop an old wooden bench. For the past year she'd only worn black, and continued to do so today. A simple frayed sweater for a light chill over a mid calve length dress was her attire for the day out, and she wore tennis shoes to keep her feet in good condition on their long walk around the dojo. Her little handbag, an old red throw away of Shizuru's, was full of odd items and she looked through it in slight boredom as Kuwabara and Kurama continued to walk about the main area of the dojo scrutinizing for tell tale flaws. Just as tired, the real estate agent sat down next to Yukina and reached into a large canvas bag full of papers to pull out a water bottle which he drink a large gulp from. Even though it was fall, and a cooling breeze blew outside, the inside of the dojo was stiflingly hot. All the windows and doors had been boarded up until only today.

Before the real estate agent could strike up dull conversation with Yukina, the tentative silence was broken by her cell phone ringing in her purse. It buzzed avidly, and she checked it's glossy cover screen to see that Yusuke was calling. She flipped open the phone at once, curious to know when he would arrive.

"Hey, Yukina. How are the guys?" Yukina could hear the wind blowing from Yusuke's end of the phone. He must be outside.

"Fine." She assured him, "They're checking out the main room. Where are you?"

"I can't make it!" Yusuke complained, "My shop got flooded and I have to clean up if I'm going to make any money tomorrow night. No use trying to sell tonight, it's going to stick of water till I can air it out... How about I make it up to you and come over for dinner instead. I've been meaning to catch up with you guys."

"Of course, Yusuke." Yukina pursed her lips, letting out a little sigh of frustration which she hid so that Yusuke could not overhear. The fact of the matter was Yukina did not want company. She did not want to be out today, and she certainly did not want people coming over the tiny apartment she shared with Kazuma. Kazuma and Shizuru both urged her to socialize and attempt to get fresh air everyday but she simply couldn't stand it for much longer than an hour. It was going on three now that Yukina had been out... and her patience was wearing thin. Clearly Yusuke heard this in her tone.

"Hey, I know you're not big on talking, so I'll let you go...but I'll drop by around seven tonight." Yusuke assured her, "Don't worry it's nothing jazzy. I just wanna harass your boyfriend some."

"I'm sure the feeling is mutual." Yukina rolled her red eyes at this, for if there was one thing that Kazuma loved it was to harass Yusuke right back.

"Is it okay if I bring Keiko over?"

"Oh yes." Yukina nodded, for of all their friends Keiko was the most helpful when it came to Yukina's plight. Quiet and understanding like Kazuma, Keiko was happy to sit in silence and read a magazine with Yukina on the couch. This was something people like Kurama or Shizuru who were bred for conversation and puzzles simply couldn't do.

"Hey, you're a peach." Yusuke's tone was warm, "Tell that ugly mug I'll pick up a burger dinner for four just in his honor. Or will it be five. Is Kurama coming?"

Yukina pinched the bridge of her delicate nose, feeling even more exhausted simply from speaking.

"Yes." Yukina managed to get out. "Make it five."

"Alright then, five it is." Yusuke seemed to be in a hurry to get off the phone as if sensing her upset condition, "Looking forward to seeing you all then. Goodbye, Yukina."

"Goodbye, Yusuke."

She hung up the phone at once, putting it back in her red handbag and gulping even. She had broken out into a slight sweat and wiped her face clean with a dainty hand as she rose up from the bench to greet Kuwabara and Kurama who were now engaging the real estate agent in a dangerous game of twenty questions. The poor real estate agent was close to losing, unable to provide the answers they wanted.

"Kazuma." Yukina interjected, sniffing as she straightened her jacket upon her shoulders, "That was Yusuke. The storm last night flooded his shop and he can't make it today. He wants to do dinner at seven... he said he would bring you burgers."

Kuwabara let out a hot breath of disappointment as he shrugged to Kurama who folded his own arms across his chest.

"This weather, man." Kuwabara sighed, "It's always the good guys who get the crap bucket. But hey if Urameshi is offering me burgers I better take him up on that."

"He wants to... come to our place." Yukina paused, unhappy.

Kuwabara gave her a gentle smile, and reached out a strong arm to give her a supportive hug. Against his chest, she inhaled the scent that lingered through his clothes. It was a strange scent... of man and honor. Her demon senses made the smell even stronger than it already was, but it soothed her. It gave her a place to sit and think, even just inside her mind.

"Alright, no problem." Kuwabara assured her. "We'll have dinner, relax and drink a beer or two... you can always go into your room if you want to have some quiet."

"Am I to assume I am invited or am I the odd man out?" Kurama asked, not in bad humor.

"No, you too." Yukina nodded, closing her eyes. "And keiko."

"Full house then. We'll have to spruce up." Kuwabara thought ahead, taking a steadying breath that made Yukina's face rise and fall upon his broad chest.

"Haramoto!" Kuwabara addressed the real estate agent who looked close to dying of a heat stroke, "Get the papers ready. I'll be buying it."

The real estate agent bowed low, honored by the lofty purchase. Inwardly he wanted to dance with glee for having sold such a piece of crap to a sucker.

What he could have no way of knowing was that Kuwabara had already haggled the price down to nearly a third of what the Haramoto had been asking with Haramoto's business partner, and with the money he'd saved would be able to spruce the place up easily.

* * *

Kuwabara's car was by no means an expensive vehicle. It was a trade in, bought only for the fact that Yukina did not enjoy riding on motorcycles and the daily commute was too hard on her weakened body. She slept the entire way home, her head lulling upon her delicate shoulders as Kuwabara drove across town to their tiny apartment. Kurama left for his own home, intending to get ready for their dinner plans and insisting he had plants to water. Given that it was Kurama who'd planted them, Kuwabara was certain they were demonic plants with the ability to rip a human in twain. As they pulled into their apartment parking complex, Kuwabara let out a tiny sigh and reached over with one hand to stroke Yukina's sharp chin. She awoke, rubbing her eyes wearily as she sat up straight in her seat and undid her safety belt. A car alarm immediately began to _ding _with warning but neither of them cared.

"I'll clean up." Kuwabara offered, "You lie down, I know you're tired."

"No it's okay." Yukina assured him, "I'm fine now. I just needed a moment to sleep."

"What do you think of the dojo?"

"It needs a lot of work."

"Yeah." Kuwabara snorted with a smile as he pulled into their designated spot, turning off the car and opening his door to retrieve parcels from earlier that day out of the backseat. There were bags of papers to sign and read over before the dojo would officially be his; he could do it later that night after everyone had left. "I know it's pretty nasty looking right now."

Yukina stretched as she got out of the car, closing her door and wrapping her jacket tightly about her frame as she took a bag of papers from Kuwabara to ease his load and retrieved their apartment key out of her purse. It was a simple ride up the elevator to the fifth floor, and from there eight doors down on the left. The good news about living in a high rise was that every floor was open to the air, and Yukina enjoyed the fresh breeze that blew about her face and rustled her dress at her legs. They passed a neighbor on their way, and made simple greetings as they finally opened their front door.

Their apartment was a small but well kept space with furniture collected from family members and garage sales. Nothing really matched but everything had a purpose, and they were both secure in their comforts with a t.v. for Kuwabara's gaming tendencies and a large bathroom for Yukina where she could be alone and take long baths in silence. Like a house well lived in, there were shoes scattered upon the floor and papers all over the table space. Half drunk mugs of coffee abandoned during the morning commute and unread mail cluttered the kitchen table along with unfinished projects that needed to be put away. The sink had a few dirty dishes in it, but these were easy to take care of with the newest addition to their household... a 'dishwasher'. Having washed her dishes by hand every day of her life, Yukina was still wary of using the odd device yet Kuwabara insisted upon her using it to lessen her work load. It certainly would come in handy tonight since they were having three extra people over for dinner. Yukina immediately set about to clearing things away, upping the thermostat so that the air became slightly warmer. Even though fall had barely gotten started, Yukina was already chilled. As of late she had been more cold that usual... the warmth had left her body.

Kuwabara didn't mind. He simply unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off to reveal a wife beater underneath. He picked up his shoes which lay about the floor, re adjusting the pillows on their couch as he headed off to their bedroom to make up the bed. The bathroom had to be cleaned for company as well. Yukina poured out the half empty coffee cups into the sink, not touching the dish washer as she stacked all their unread mail into a woven basket that sat atop the t.v.

Their apartment was laid out in an expected design with the living room leading to a hallway that divided into three different rooms. Two bedrooms, one bathroom. The entire building shared a laundromat on the first floor. Most soon to be wed couples might stack their spare bedroom with supplies for their up and coming wedding, yet this was not the case with Kuwabara and Yukina. The spare guest room was never used, not because they did not have company every now and then (Shizuru was always keen to come around and often slept upon the couch after a tough police shift), but because it was already occupied by something else entirely.

By a silence that was unending... by a pain that had a heartbeat.

Yukina wiped her hands dry on a dish towel, taking a cup from the cabinet and pouring a glass of shrine water from a bottle she kept in the fridge. This was not a drink she intended upon having herself; this was for the shrine she kept in the spare bedroom.

It was a haka, a family grave carved out of stone that ought to have been in a cemetery save that there simply was no cemetery for Yukina to use to honor her brother and mother. Instead, her desire to honor their departed spirits had become so great that she had taken it upon herself to put the haka directly in their house, and now the spare bedroom was completely off limits to anyone save those that wished to show their respects. As she entered the spare bedroom with the water, Yukina closed the door behind her and locked it at the handle. Kuwabara would not mind. He knew when she entered the spare bedroom to leave her alone and allow her to have a moment to herself. As soon as she entered the room, Yukina heard the air conditioning unit come on bringing her slight warmth as she sat down on the floor with her legs underneath her to stare at her family shrine... a shrine she had so painstakingly erected.

It was about the size of a large potted plant in height and width, with the simple kanji of 'koorime' engraved upon the front. As it stood, they had never had a family name and so Yukina had decided to create a family name for them. Instead of a surname, they would have their race... the dark card in their deck of life. Two wooden sotoba sat at the base of the haka, engraved with the names 'Hina' and 'Hiei'. Between their two sotoba a place for flowers, incense, and water stood waiting patiently to be filled. Yukina filled upon the stone vase with shrine water, replenishing the ailing lilies that sat in the flower pot. They would need to be changed out soon. She fetched incense sticks from a chamber underneath the haka, which consisted of a metal pull out drawer that would have in other cases been used for ashes of the deceased. As it stood, Yukina would never possess either for her loved ones... and so instead she kept the only things inside that she had left of her brother and mother. As she sat a stick of incense in the holder and lit it with a match, Yukina bowed her head in solemn prayer and began a section from a buddhist sutta.

Demons did not call upon religion nor need it in their daily lives as humans did. Yet when Yukina had set about her search to create a shrine for her family she had come into contact with a buddhist temple not three blocks from their apartment. It was difficult to explain to the priests what she needed or why she needed it but they were more than happy to oblige her. They had been the ones to inscribe the haka and sotoba, and had not asked questions at the strange name 'koorime' when Yukina had made her purchase. They had even given her incense to use and had offered her a sutta upon fine parchment. She'd had utterly no idea what a sutta was, but it seemed comforting to read aloud as she poured water upon the haka.

"As water raining on a hill, flows down to the valley, even so does what is given here benefit my dead." Yukina whispered, her hand steady as she continued to pour, "As rivers full of water fill the ocean full, even so does what is given here benefit my dead..."

She paused, looking down at the metal box beneath the haka.

She dare not open it again to retrieve what lay inside, for although the incense was kept there... other things lay in the chamber as well. Things Yukina had painstakingly collected through Rui's help.

After the death of her brother, Yukina had attempted time and time again to get into contact with Rui. Though wounded, Rui recovered in her own time to help her people attempt to restart their lives. Rui was aged now, old and haggard, but she was able to help Yukina find peace by gathering a team of younger women to search through the ruins of the castle for any sign of life. They had found none, yet had come upon a sword buried under six feet of rubble, and had given it to Rui to return to Hina. It was Hiei's sword, and Yukina had treasured it from that day on. The sword was much to long to be kept beneath a haka, and instead was kept in front of the haka upon a traditional pedestal. Hiei's scarf, however, was inside the haka... as well as his hiroseke stone.

Yukina could not bear to see either.

She let out a weary breath, feeling aged and exhausted as she rose to her feet and left the spare bedroom. The incense continued to burn, letting a tiny trail of smoke unfurl into the air as the smell of jasmine filled the apartment. She passed Kuwabara in the hallway, who inwardly noted the scent of burning incense but said nothing. Yukina and Kuwabara understood one another when it came to the family alter. Yukina kept it clean and devoted a moment out of everyday to give thanks to her brother and mother... Kuwabara only went in when she allowed him. It was out of respect to her privacy as well as sanity. For a long time Yukina had slept in their spare bedroom, barely eating enough to get by and covering herself up in sweaters and sweatpants to keep warm. It took Kuwabara's tender care to get her to sleep in their bed again, and since then he didn't speak about the spare bedroom to Yukina.

To be honest, he didn't like talking about Hiei. None of them did. His late memory was a painful and confusing one riddled with hate and love.

Around six forty eight, there came a gentle rapping upon their apartment door. Yukina opened it, and was unsurprised to see Kurama outside with a bottle of sake and a smile. It was common of him to arrive before Yusuke but then again anyone could arrive before Yusuke so long as they had enough brain cells. Yusuke could be late to his own funeral if he weren't already dead, but Yukina kept this opinion to herself since mentioning funerals around Yusuke made him think of the one he'd endured at the tender age of fourteen. Apparently the sight of his mother weeping in the corner had traumatized him.

"Am I the first one here?" Kurama asked, toeing his Asics (a rather fancy shoe) off to come inside.

"Yes." Yukina closed the door, noting that the sun had gone down and the sky was now a deep green in color. Storms were still coming in. "Thank you for the sake."

"It's daiginjo-shu." Kurama noted, taking off his jacket to hang it up upon a hallway rack. As he entered the living room, he found Kuwabara sitting on the couch drinking a beer and watching the evening news. Kuwabara grinned, toasting him as Kurama smacked him in the lower legs so that he had room to sit down at the other end of the couch.

"Rain for days." Kuwabara pointed with a spare finger to the tv where the weatherman was grinning in front of a gloomy looking forecast. "It's just gonna keep coming."

"When is Yusuke getting here?" Kurama asked, "I have to admit I am a little famished."

"Eh..." Kuwabara checked his wrist watch, "Gotta be soon, he said seven. Give him another ten minutes. Thanks for the sake man!"

"I thought I ought to bring something." Kurama smiled, ever the gentleman. Kurama watched Yukina in the kitchen, noting how slow she seemed to be moving. She hadn't changed out of her black dress from earlier, and Kurama wondered if she owned anything in her closet of a different color. He'd once seen her so lively and vibrant, relishing in the sounds and sights of human world. Now she had become used to daily droll of normal life, and like an old woman seemed to care for nothing but a nap every now and then. It was strange that she would have no pleasures, or at least none that Kurama knew about... she didn't even own a bird like she once had.

Yukina washed a melon in the sink, cutting it open and spooning the seeds into the garbage can as she sliced it for a large plate. By the time she was finished the nightly news had ended and it was seven. Now a game show was coming on, one that Kurama and Kuwabara watched with mild interest while Yukina put the sliced melon before them. Both Kuwabara and Kurama grabbed a slice when there came a hammering upon the door along with an obnoxious voice from the outside:

"This is the police!" Yusuke shouted, "Open up or we're gonna bust your door in you drug toting, prostitute fucking-"

"Goddamnit, the neighbors!" Kuwabara all but flung himself off the couch, hitting the wall as he made to wrench the front door open. Kurama poked his head over, eating a slice of melon thoughtfully as he saw Yusuke outside the front door.

He was grinning from ear to ear, smelling of cleaner with his hair gelled back in his usual way. Wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, he pushed past Kuwabara to enter the house with his hands full of brown paper bags that smelled delicious to Kurama's nose.

"Hey Kurama, hey Yukina." Yusuke greeted them both nonchalantly, not even bothering with his shoes as he sat all the bags on the kitchen table.

"Dude, do you have any shred of decency?" Kuwabara demanded irritably.

"No, I do not." Yusuke sneered, not looking up from the table as he began to unload several styrofoam containers "And don't start wishing for me to because it's not gonna happen."

"Yusuke!"

Keiko Yukimora appeared in the doorway, laden with several drinks in styrofoam trays as well as a bag full of flowers and incense. She looked thoroughly agitated, wearing a frilly pink dress that was stained all over from a day at work with a white petticoat that was missing two of its buttons. Kuwabara closed the door, locking it as he took the drinks and bags from Keiko so that she could remove her shoes.

"I told you not to do that!" She snapped.

"I never agreed to anything." Yusuke chuckled, finally getting rid of his shoes and tossing them for Keiko to catch. She caught a whiff of their inner odor accidentally and looked like she might vomit or faint from the smell.

"Uh..." Keiko shook her head, shrugging off her petticoat and hanging it up next to Kurama's jacket. "Why am I marrying you."

"Because I said yes." Yusuke joked again, and Keiko shot him a dirty look before greeting Yukina kindly with a kiss upon the cheek. They embraced, and Keiko held her gently as she pulled back to point at the bag of flowers and incense.

"I brought a little something fresh for the alter." Keiko explained.

"Thank you." Yukina was genuinely pleased, and took the bag from Kuwabara to take a curious glance inside. Keiko had brought white roses, an odd choice but one that Yukina would not reject. She'd also brought more incense for Yukina, which was quite nice since she had been getting low, and Yukina excused herself to deposit both gifts in the spare bedroom. She could hear the group migrating to the kitchen in order to tuck into a meal courtesy of Yusuke. Their voices rose and fell with laughter, muted through the bedroom walls as Yukina squatted down before the haka to open the bag and pull out the white roses. Depositing the new incense inside the haka chamber, she used the bag like a garbage can to get rid of the dying lilies. She placed the new roses inside the flower pot, adding a bit more spring water so that they were refreshed. They looked quite nice, and Yukina touched their velvet petals absently.

"They look nice?"

Yukina jumped, clutching her heart as the sudden voice took her by complete surprise! She looked up swiftly to see Kurama in the doorway, smiling bitterly as he observed the haka from the side. Annoyed, Yukina rose up taking the bagged lilies with her. She left the spare bedroom, pushing past Kurama and pulling the door closed so that he could not see inside.

"Yukina, I've been meaning to ask you how you've been-"

"Later." Yukina cut him off before he could go on much further. She didn't want to talk about it. To anyone. End of story.

Dinner was jovial for everyone save Yukina who ate her burger without comment. She barely finished half, not enjoying the greasy delight. Kuwabara was more than happy to take up her offer for a finish, and wolfed down the other half along with his own burger and a hold of spiced fries. They sat clustered around the coffee table in the living room, not having enough chairs to sit in the kitchen. Yusuke told everyone about the horrific rain and how it had drowned the floor of his ramen shop. Kuwabara brought up lighter news with the signing of dojo papers, and everyone congratulated him. Kurama was doing much of the same thing, but hinted that he was feeling the need for a change though he did not specify what. It was not in the nature of a demon to be content with boredom. Keiko looked slightly anxious to speak her mind but waited for the three boys to finish their conversation before grabbing all the greasy wrappers from their burgers and fries to make a trash dump in the kitchen.

"Guys, I've been wanting to talk about something." Keiko started, washing her hands to get the grease off. "If that's okay."

"Lay it on us." Yusuke watched Keiko wipe off her hands, and as she retook her seat beside him he tugged at a lock of brown hair with good humor. "What's on your mind?"

"A brochure came for you about a week ago." Keiko explained, "I didn't show it to you because after looking at it I thought I'd make it a surprise."

"If it's some damn high school reunion you can shove it right up your-"

"It's not." Keiko assured him, "Like I'd want to hang out with those jerks."

Kuwabara shared a chuckle with the other two as Keiko fished out a glossy advert from her large purse. She unfolded it to lay it out on the table, and everyone leaned in save Yukina to see what she was showing.

"The _fuck?" _Yusuke sneered, picking it up to read aloud. "Hanging Neck Island... _Resort?" _

"You're kidding." Kurama gave a harsh laugh at the very notion, "A resort on that ridiculous rock? I'm smelling foul play."

"Wait what do you mean 'resort'" Kuwabara asked, curious. "Like a spa and stuff?"

"_Renovated and re opened for family, fun, and festivities..." _Yusuke read from the pamphlet. "_A fantastic place for a vacation any time of year with a large variety of activities for demons and humans alike. Ideal for travelers with diverse tastes and preferences, Hanging Neck Island boasts a fresh water pool right by the ocean, deep seawater spa treatment, as well as an eighteen hole golf course. Relax alongside the tranquil waters of Maesato Beach, abundant in coral reefs..." _Yusuke paused, looking up at Keiko with morbid realization.

"And body parts." Kuwabara added from across the table.

"Look in the back..." Keiko offered slyly, "See who owns it before you judge!"

Yusuke shrugged, flipping the flashy pamphlet over to see the fine print for bookings, special packages, and accommodations.

"HA!" Yusuke cried out, making Yukina jump from the loud noise, "You have gotta be fucking me!"

"Please try to refrain from cursing the walls are like paper here." Yukina muttered but no one noticed her amid Yusuke's delight.

"Jin!" Yusuke pointed to the kanji as proof, showing it to Kurama and Kuwabara, "That son of a bitch bought the island! Just like he wanted to back in the tournament. Holy hell, he actually turned it around! We've gotta go!"

"How nice." Kurama mused, genuinely surprised, "After training him as I did... I wondered what he'd do with his life. I'm glad he got his wish."

"I wonder if Touya, Chu, and the others will be there?" Kuwabara thought aloud. "I never understood a word he said but Jin was a nice guy."

"We gotta go. We got to!" Yusuke looked to Kurama now, making a bizarre expression that might have been taken as 'begging' if Yusuke Urameshi had it in him to do so. "Say Kurama buddy old pall... you're loaded and we're broke."

"Actually I already called."

Yusuke looked to Keiko, excitement flooding him with nervous anticipation. Keiko smiled, shrugging as she nodded.

"I talked to Jin and told him we got his advertisement. He asked if we'd like to go for a week... all expenses paid-"

Yusuke leapt up, punching the air with delight as he danced about the living room.

"I'm gonna kiss that son of a bitch!" Yusuke was utterly delighted, "I haven't had a vacation in- shit I've never even _had _a vacation!"

"This'll be awesome!" Kuwabara grinned from ear to ear, "Man I can't wait!"

Yukina said nothing, rising up from the coffee table where her friends discussed the newfound vacation with great anticipation. She headed to the kitchen without comment, wiping the counters as she set a kettle to boil for tea.

She did not want to go on a vacation. She did not want to go anywhere.

She wanted to say at home, with the haka.

Vacations were loud and full of activity and excitement. There were always things to do and things to see, which would no doubt leave Yukina utterly exhausted. The food might be appealing, and indeed she wouldn't have to cook for a while, but still there was a simple joy in cooking and she didn't know how she felt about trying new foods. The others would want to swim in the ocean and have fun at the spa... Yukina would want to stay in the room, and she knew there would be questions.

"Hey..."

Yukina was greeted by Keiko who threw away more bags while the boys kept discussing the upcoming trip in the living room.

"Listen, I know you're going through a really hard time... that's why I want you to come." Keiko assured her, speaking gently as she helped Yukina by wiping off the rest of the counters.

"I don't like traveling." Yukina admitted bitterly. "I don't want to go. Get someone else."

"Please, allow me to say more..." Keiko urged gently, "Look at this."

It was the pamphlet again, in Keiko's hands as she opened it to show Yukina. Yukina glanced down, to see that it was an inside advertisement to the hotel spa which apparently was a main attraction offer with a five star review. Yukina did not pay much attention, instead preparing a chipped coffee mug and filling a tea strainer full of her favorite tea leaves. They came straight from the Hyouga... a special tea that Rui sent to her every so often with news from abroad as well as her love.

"Look, I've worked it all out." Keiko began in a slight whisper, not wanting to be overhead by the boys, "You're depression is making you tired and probably sick as well. You need something to make you feel _better _right? Well spas do that, Yukina! They're wonderful for relaxation and energization... and you don't have to do anything. You just get pampered. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"Do I look like I require pampering?" Yukina asked, staring at Keiko.

"Yes." Keiko did not hesitate with her answer, noting the deep purple bags underneath Yukina's eyes as well as the slight gray tinge to her skin. "You really do, Yukina."

"And what else would I do besides... sit there." Yukina muttered, taking the kettle off of the stove as it began to smoke. Keiko shut off the power to the eye for Yukina, shrugging as she thought it over.

"You can always take a walk by the sea alone if you want to... pick up shells, and look at the fish. You used to like going to the seashore."

"I do still."

"Then why not do that?"

"Keiko..." Yukina sighed, shaking her head as she poured the mug full of hot water. At once, the tea began to turn the water a deep blue in color, which intrigued Keiko quite a bit as she had never seen 'blue' tea, "I understand that you want to help, and I am grateful for your compassion during this time... but I do not have the energy required to enjoy a vacation and I would be a burden. I would be much better staying here alone while Kazuma went in my stead-"

"No, Yukina!" Keiko urged, and she even took Yukina by the arm with a gentle squeeze of the hand, "Staying by yourself is the absolute _worst _thing to do. You have to beat this depression... and you can't do it alone."

"Believe me, Keiko." Yukina whispered, gently stirring the tea strainer so that it clinked along the inside of the mug, "I'm never alone."

And it was the truth, though Keiko would probably not understand why.

Yukina was surrounded by ghost.

In ways, she was a ghost.

Keiko cast a glance to the boys before leaning in to Yukina's ear as Yukina raised her mug to her lips

"... Hiei wouldn't have wanted you to suffer this way."

Yukina froze, her grip slipping upon the mugs handle.

It fell to the floor and shattered in three pieces at her feet, spilling hot tea everywhere as Keiko gasped and immediately threw down a kitchen rag to clean up the mess.

"Woah, what happened?" Kuwabara asked, "You okay, Yukina?"

Yukina stepped away from the steaming puddle, her bare feet stinging from the scalding water as she left the kitchen heading towards the hallway.

"I'm going to bed." Yukina managed to say to Kuwabara, her mind flying in five hundred directions at once. Her heart was hammering, she had to correct herself if she wanted to be presentable... she needed to be alone to regain her composure.

"...Okay." Kuwabara agreed, his tone worried as he leaned in to gently kiss Yukina upon the forehead, "I'll be there soon."

Yukina nodded, not really hearing him as she left the now awkward silence which filled the living room to enter into their dark bedroom at the end of the hallway. Closing the door behind her, Yukina fell upon their bed with slight distress, her legs weak and a cold sweat upon her brow.

In the darkness, her composure crumpled.

Placing her trembling hands over her aching heart, she laid her head upon her pillow and wept silently. Making no sound to avoid being approached by the others just in the other room, Yukina pressed her face into the pillow so that her tears would be absorbed into the cotton instead of forming into hiroseke stones. She felt like she was going to be sick, like her entire body was turning inside out.

A flash of light illuminated the room as outside the window a peal of thunder and lighting raced across the sky.

So many people took their blessings for granted. She saw them everyday, humans strolling among Japan's streets with their family and friends. They held onto one another and planned their futures with those they cherished most. They embraced births, they marked calenders with weddings and anniversaries... their refrigerators were covered with photos from memorable times.

Their spare bedrooms were full of oddities left by family members when they had stayed; a belt, a pair of shoes... an extra ID card.

Yukina had none of these things. She had a haka. She had a blood stained sword still gritty with the sand like rubble of frozen stone. She had a worn out scarf that she couldn't even bear to look at without breaking down as she was doing now. She had her grief, endless and breaking.

She had sleep... and the tiny escape it gave her into a world of dreams where Hiei might very well still be alive... and waiting for her once again.

More thunder and lightning cracked outside; suddenly the pattering of rain began to tap along the window. In that darkness her soul sunk into a deep pit where she rotted with the festering carcasses of war widows and orphans who had cried the same tears. Who had longed for someone to hold them that never would...


	3. Chapter 3

Arranging to take a week off from work was not an easy thing for an adult to do. It might have been simple back when they were children but now that Yusuke and Keiko both had full time jobs they were forced to plan well in advance for their little excursion to Hanging Neck Island. Kuwabara had it slightly easier, working on his own time schedule and Kurama practically ran his step father's company now that he was in the top position. So when Keiko and Yusuke finally managed to get their schedules right it was almost October. The weather had cooled considerably, yet Hanging Neck Island was considerably south, and so the temperature was just right for a nice week with friends.

You couldn't tell any of that to Yukina, however. She was in the darkest of moods.

Keiko, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama, and Yukina all took the bullet train from Sariashiki to Ishigaki. From there, they would take a rickshaw ride through the forrest that had once been home to hungry and villainous demons and finally a boat ride to Hanging Neck Island. The whole way, Yukina did not say a single word despite Keiko attempting several times to start conversation. Keiko had brought multiple bridal magazines and combed them meticulously for new ideas for both their upcoming weddings. Kurama was the only one interested, but he gave merely mild suggestions that Keiko did not particularly agree with. Yusuke and Kuwabara played cards and gossiped about what Jin might be up to with his brilliant new hotel resort. He was hardly the typical business man yet he was clearly doing very well for himself. How had that come about? How had Jin won control of Hanging Neck Island? Yusuke wanted to know it all, and suddenly he found himself lurched into the past when he was fourteen again with flying fists and blood on his cheek. Now he was twenty five... hardly a young hoodlum anymore. Maybe he was missing that part of him he usually had to lock away.

Keiko observed her fiance over the top of her magazine, remembering fondly how he was once an obnoxious teenager with no regards for authority. He'd charmed her then, kissing her eyelids and running amuck without telling her a damn thing in regards to his secret life. Ridiculous nonsense... working for a detective in an after school program- Keiko snorted a little to herself at the lie Botan had fed her. The truth had come out when Keiko had gone to Hanging Neck Island for the first time with Shizuru and Botan... and she remembered in great detail how much it had shaken her.

The screaming throngs of demons, gnashing their overgrown and broken teeth as they howled for blood had made her muscles freeze with fear. A lifetime of schooling had taught her nothing when it came to street smarts or how to wrangle with people three times her size. Frankly Keiko had thought she was hallucinating for the first ten minutes but as soon as she realized demons were real... it all started to make sense.

"I'm gonna get a soda from the bar." Yusuke announced, getting up and squeezing between Kuwabara and Kurama's legs to get out into the hall. "You want anything Keiko?"

"An apple juice would be nice." Keiko smiled when he flashed her a careless grin.

The same careless grin that captivated her heart when they lay tangled together in sweaty sheets... the same careless grin that made her feel light and airy when they were in the middle of a meal rush at his noodle shop.

"I must admit," Kurama chuckled, "With my two best friends getting married I find myself feeling a bit of an old bachelor."

"Yeah but you're so good looking it won't be a problem for you to find a girl." Kuwabara huffed, pulling out a bag of dried figs from his carry on backpack and eating one morosely.

"I'm sure you must have at least had a girlfriend once." Keiko offered, closing her magazine and sneaking out a dried fig from the bag, "Right?"

Kurama chuckled at this, smiling at Keiko as he pulled his massive mane of red hair out from behind him to lay over his shoulder. Keiko knew exactly how it felt to pinch your scalp because of your hair length... her hair now came down almost to her breasts and gave her increasing trouble.

"I've never found myself wanting, to be quite honest." Kurama shrugged. "It was never my plan to stay here permanently in the beginning."

"What about now? Given..." Keiko paused, unsure of how best to speak since Yukina was sitting right across from her staring gloomily out the window, "Everything. We're all... in human world... now."

"Yes. We are." Kurama nodded, understanding what she meant exactly.

For a moment there was a pause as Kurama and Kuwabara shared a glance in Yukina's direction.

"Yukina, how are you feeling?" Kurama asked.

Yukina did not answer, staring out the window as if she had not heard him.

"Yukina." Kuwabara reached out, gently touching her shoulder to get her attention. Yukina jumped, her purse falling out of her lap as she looked around startled. When she saw everyone staring at her, she flushed and immediately picked her purse up from the floor.

"What." Yukina asked the group at large, "What is it?"

"How are you feeling." Kurama repeated, his tone calm as he laced his long fingers together across his knees.

"Tired." Yukina answered, turning away to resume looking out the window.

Kurama looked a little puzzled at the lack of a further explanation, but did not press for more details. Instead, he greeted Yusuke as he returned from the bar with drinks in hand. Beer was passed around, save for an apple juice for Keiko and a tea for Yukina. Yukina took it with silent thanks, and said nothing for the rest of the trip.

With the bullet train over, the group was dropped off at the station where several rickshaw drivers were taking what little passengers remained on the well carved forest path. It was seasonably warm, and Keiko could even take off her jacket which had been necessary back in Sariashiki. Tropical birds filled the treetops, and they cawed at each other crankily as they squabbled over figs. Rickshaws were not particularly wide, but could seat two people if both held their bags in their laps. The problem was that both Kuwabara and Yusuke were rather heavy, and therefore had to sit with their separate spouses in order to keep from killing the poor demon drivers who brazenly carried the rickshaws upon their shoulders. Kurama was left out in the cold, but seemed rather content to sit by himself as if hoping to escape from the constant gabble that came from fiances with weddings to plan. He read a book of poetry, every so often looking out into the forest and snatching a few samples from passing leaves that hung out in the road. No doubt he was stocking up on exotic plants for personal use back home.

The rickshaws were slightly prickly, being made of woven bamboo with rough canvas seats, but there was something quite fun about riding around in a historic cart that Keiko found herself taking delight in. She wondered if demons used rickshaws but doubted it quite highly. She'd seen how fast Kurama could run... and when Hiei had been living his speed had been insurmountable. More like a flitting shadow than anything else. The forest turf changed from thicker mud to slightly sandier, and roots suddenly became apparent on the surface as an abundance of water created a need for thicker holds. The leaves were broad and flat, like elephant ears, and once or twice Keiko thought she saw a small golden tamarind hiding in the trees. When they passed through the other end of the forest and at last arrived onto open air, what awaited them was a sight they had already seen before... Hanging Neck Island, far off in the distance.

Yet it was different in every way.

When Yusuke had been forced into the tournament the area had been filled with the seediest of criminals who'd made the forest a hide out of sorts. Trash had covered the land, and the smell had reminded him of a wet dog. The ship used to take people back and forth was ugly and marred, just like everything else to do with the tournament. All this was changed now: The thugs had been cleared out (no doubt by Jin and his lackeys), the beaches had been cleaned, and with the removal of trash the smell too had gone. Now one could clearly see the white sands, as well as enjoy the lush vegetation without having to worry about broken beer bottles. The ship that Jin must have purchased, was bright and clean. It was a barge, with a massive dock and lowering ramp that allowed whole crowds to walk up at a time, and it had three decks so that a massive amount of passengers could cross the gap to the actual island without having to wait. What was more, with the tickets that Jin had sent in the mail, they did not have to pay the fee to board, and so all of them were able to avoid being nickled and dimed. Excited, Keiko couldn't keep from smiling as she held onto the railing to look over the edge. Just as she'd remembered from so long ago, demons mixed among the throng of humans. Some looked relatively normal save for strange hair or markings upon their skin. Some were downright bizarre with extra appendages, animalistic features, and disproportionate faces. Perhaps it was because Yusuke had been out of the spotlight for so long that people did not immediately run and hide from him like they'd done so long ago... but Keiko was not a fool. She noticed the way demons kept glancing at their group. She could clearly see the way some of the males around Yusuke's age bent their heads together, whispering and nodding in their direction. These were not criminals nor thugs intent on winning a prize or wanting a head for their body count. These were demons with lives and families, demons who did not want trouble when they were so clearly dressed and ready for vacation.

That didn't stop them from gossiping though. They knew who the tall dark man was at Keiko's side... and they knew who Kurama was as well.

"Man it doesn't seem the same without having to beat the crap outta somebody!" Yusuke laughed, "Remember when we crossed the first time? We had to kill a whole ship full of people... man I miss the days."

"Alas, it seems we will have to be content with calm." Kurama smirked.

"Hell no it doesn't!" Yusuke grinned maliciously, pulling out the pamphlet that Keiko had passed around at dinner a month ago, "One of the tourist attractions on the island are both rings! The preliminary ring, and the remains of the championship ring! How about you and I take a private tour and spar like old times?"

"Not without me!" Kuwabara piped up angrily. "I'm going too!"

Keiko was about to speak up when she noticed the expression on Yukina's face. She looked like she was going to vomit or faint.

"Yukina?" Keiko offered, reaching out to brush some of the girl's aqua locks from her face, "Are you sea sick?"

"... I don't want to be here." Yukina spoke up, her voice hardened with grief and anger, "I want to go home."

"What?" Kuwabara looked around, his mock anger vanishing as he rubbed Yukina's back tenderly, "Are you feeling sick, baby?"

"I don't want to be here." Yukina repeated, "This is wrong. This is all _wrong." _She closed her eyes as if suffering from a migraine, bringing a hand up to her eyes to rub her brow gingerly.

"Why is it all wrong?" Kurama asked, pressing gently as if worried Yukina might explode if he was too forceful. She did not answer.

The ship was close to docking, and it blew its horn to signal warning to its passengers. The sharp blast of noise scared Yukina so bad she let out a little yelp, jumping and trembling as she pressed a hand over her hammering heart.

"Damn that's loud." Yusuke grimaced, looking up to the horns which towered over their heads atop the helm deck. "Figure they could have made that any more obnoxious?"

"I want to go home." Yukina repeated, looking very upset as she pressed her hands over her eyes again.

"Hey..." Kuwabara drew her into his arms, allowing her to hide her face in his chest as he rested his prominent chin atop her head. Keiko rubbed Yukina's back, unsure of what else to do. She gave Yusuke a helpless glance, to which he only shrugged and shouldered Yukina's bags as well as his own.

"Let's get to our room." Yusuke addressed them all, "This has been one hell of a day... I'm thinking we can get room service and order in? No need to go out tonight. We've got a week to check out the restaurants."

"Agreed." Kurama nodded, "A more private setting will do us all good."

Keiko picked up her bags, and Kuwabara was forced to let go of Yukina as the barge finally docked to lower its massive ramp. There was a great surge of activity as all the passengers made their way towards the pier from which they could march up the gentle hill towards the hotel. What had once been a private resort only for the rich had been turned into a public delight, and Yusuke could see even from the barge that there were walking paths through small golf courses and flower gardens. It bemused him to observe demons in cardigans carrying around golf clubs; like a comedy of errors. There was slight pushing, but Keiko managed to grip the back of Yusuke's shirt and the loop of Kurama's belt so that she was not sucked away. Kuwabara of course cut a path like a knife, allowing Yukina to follow in his wake meekly. They crossed the pier and began to mount the large lush hill. Now up close, Yusuke could see that there were more than golf courses; there were also tennis courts and outdoor restaurants. Demons intermingled with one another, their children screaming and playing with great delight at the little vacation. At the top of the hill sat the hotel, just as grand and glorious as before. Now, however, there was an actual air of peace about the place instead of insensitive wealth. Two bellhops at the door opened the glass panels wide, and the group entered in to the massive and cool foyer. The red carpet underfoot was soft and freshly steamed, and on either side in well placed couch areas demons sat with their bags preparing to check out. Up ahead at the marble counter stood several pretty demon women in white uniforms waiting to check people in, and from beyond the counter there lay staircases, elevators, two bars, and long large hallways to lead all throughout the first floor. Yusuke would have spent more time looking at the place, but his eyes were drawn to a familiar red head bent over the marble counter looking at a computer screen with a demoness attendee. In a fine white tuxedo complete with gold watch and chain, Jin looked a far cry from the merciless killer he actually was. Yet as he glanced up and spotted Yusuke grinning from ear to ear, Jin let out such a cry of delight that it stunned several customers into dropping their bags. Jin leapt into the air, soaring right over the marble counter and flying at Yusuke top speed! They crashed into a hug, forcing Kurama and Keiko to both get quickly out of the way before they went down with the ship.

_"UrameshiyousonofagunI'vebeenlookinforwardtathismo mentsinceIcalledyourlady!" _Jin cried out in his usual lightening speed, forcing Yusuke to do a mini translation in his head before answering.

"Look at you! You're wearing a suit! Who did you kill for it?" Yusuke joked.

_"Ayebeenkeepinguptabswitharealswelltailoryououghtt oseewhatheputsmein!" _Jin's ears even wiggled with delight, _"Butdon'tkeepmewaitingnow, letmehugtheothers!" _Jin touched down, embracing Kurama warmly. Kurama laughed gayly, patting Jin upon the back.

_"TwasthankstoyouandyertrainingthatIbeengettintopgr adefights! Neverfeltsostronginallmylife!" _Jin flexed his muscles, _"Whathaveyoubeenuptonowadays?" _

"Oh, simply attempting to live a peaceful life." Kurama assured him with a chuckle, "I'm afraid I've been rather boring."

_"Andlookatyou!" _Jin shook Kuwabara's hand at once, _"Ihaven'tseenyousincetheendoftheDarkTournament!" _

"Uh... yeah, it's been a long time." Kuwabara had a much harder time understand what Jin said, simply because he couldn't decipher one word from the next when Jin kept flying through and slurring them. "This is a really cool place you've got here, Jin. I'm glad that you've done so well!"

_"Ahtisnothing." _Jin shrugged with a blush and a grin, _"Newpaintnewshrubsandwooweeyougotyerselfamultimill iondollarhotel." _

"Well if that's all that it takes I'll quit my ramen stand tonight!" Yusuke joked. Keiko smiled up at him.

_"Saynowwhere'sthefourthmanIbeenwaitingtohearhimmak easnarkortwo." _Jin asked, pointing from Kurama to Yusuke, _"Hieinotafanofsunandsea?" _

Everyone fell quiet. Yusuke deflated, frowning and rubbing his eyes wearily.

_"what'swiththefacenow?" _Jin asked, curious.

Yusuke leaned in, making sure to whisper directly into Jin's ear.

"Hiei's been dead for over a year. That's his sister standing next to Kuwabara with the blue hair. Don't say anything, she's in a real bad place about it. I'll tell you everything later."

Jin's mouth dropped with surprise, forming a perfect silent 'o' as he looked from Yusuke to Yukina.

_"Let'snotbewaistintimewithwhocomeswhenandwholikesw hat!" _Jin picked up at once, _"You'llbestayininthepenthousesuitthisweek! Allmealsonthehotel!" _

"Now that's more like it!" Yusuke cried out merrily, attempting to force everyone back into a good mood, "I'll take lobster and steak on the double.'

_"I'llgetyourkeystotheroom!" _Jin leapt up into the air, flying right back to the marble counter in order to harrass the attendee. In the moment he was gone, Kurama, Kuwabara, and Yusuke all leaned in to one another while Keiko attempted to boost Yukina's spirits with talk over the spa.

"Let's hope that's a one time incident." Yusuke growled, "Yukina can't deal with that every other minute. God forbid we run into everyone else and they start yammering the same way."

"Take heart, Hiei was not well known to people outside our clan. Only Mukuro knew him better, and she hasn't been heard of since the day we left demon world." Kurama assured Yusuke, "Jin will not bring it up again. They weren't exactly friends."

"Well Hiei wasn't exactly _friends _with anybody." Kuwabara added darkly. Kurama nodded bitterly, for as much as he hated to admit it this was quite true.

_"Hereweareandherewego!" _Jin cried out, returning with a fist full of keys that he gave to each member of the group quick as a flash. _"Whydon'twetaketheelevatorup!She'sfifteenstorieshi gh!" _

"Anything you say, man." Kuwabara grinned, flashing the key, "You're the one paying for all this."

_"Apleasure!" _Jin assured him, and so all six of them made their way to the elevator. If there was one thing to be said about Jin it was that he was incredibly impatient, and he hammered the elevator button several times before finally letting up. Everyone watched the gold lever drop from floor to floor, signaling the elevator was on its way.

"_Ayehurryupnow!" _Jin groaned, _"Idon'tpaywhatIpaytohaveyoulagabout!" _

"It's a machine." Kurama smiled, "It will come when it comes."

_"Icouldflyusupatthisrate!" _Jin cried, turning about to grab Keiko in his arms and sweep her off the ground. Keiko let out a tiny scream, now floating several feet in the air along with Jin. Her bags fell to the ground as she let them go with a shock!

_"I'lltakeyoufirst!" _Jin grinned, starting to go higher as Yusuke began laughing hysterically.

"No, no please!" Keiko hurried him, "That's very nice and all but I don't like this, I'm not used to this, oh please!" she begged, and was very grateful indeed when the elevator dinged to signal it had arrived. Jin let her down at once, and she scooped her bags off the floor with shaking hands as she rushed into the vacant elevator. Yusuke couldn't keep his laughter to himself, pinching the corners of his eyes so that tears wouldn't come out.

Jin was the last one to enter, although they were not left alone as several other demon parties got in to join the large elevator foray. They all pushed the buttons to their floors, with Jin pressing the button 'PS' last. Up they went, stopping every so often so that pair after pair could exit on their appropriate level. Yusuke noted the first level was the spa, and several demon women left on the floor with looks of great excitement on their faces. The next floors were lavish and quiet, clearly for rooms, and so the rest of the demons left with bags in hand. By the time they had made it all the way up to the penthouse suit, Jin looked like he wanted to chew off his own fingers with impatient longing.

The elevator doors opened, and Jin burst out in a gust of air. The others followed in his wake, looking around with great intrigue to see that only a short hallway forward and a pair of large double doors awaited them. Yusuke took the step forward, sliding his key into the brass lock and opening the door to take the first step inside.

"Oh _damn_!" Yusuke laughed excitedly, gleefully looking about the gorgeous living area as he finally laid eyes upon his prize for picking good friends. "Jin I'm about to visit your hotel a hell of a lot more often!"

_"AnytimeyoulikeUrameshi." _Jin grinned right back, _'"Thisiswherethepreviouswinnersofthedarktournament wouldsleep. SeehowTogurohaditmade?" _

"Shit." Yusuke huffed, setting down his bags to pass by the lavish furniture set which was centered around a fine glass coffee table and a large fireplace. "He really did have it good. For a while." Yusuke smirked. The living room was right off of a veranda, which overlooked the ocean and cliffside. It was beautiful, colored in bright flowers and clustered with tiny flocks of birds that contented themselves from flying for the moment. Jin went right over and flung the doors open so that the sea breeze could fill the room blowing the white Gaussian curtains about.

"Wow!" Kuwabara was gleeful, like a child in a candy store, "I've never seen anything like this!" Yet this was hardly true, for Kuwabara had seen many fine things in his lifetime. It was simply the fact that he was so warmly invited, so allowed in such a private and richly laid out place that he felt suddenly heightened as if a prince.

"I'm very impressed." Kurama agreed.

"Oh this is so wonderful." Keiko sighed, for she hadn't had a vacation in so long her bones were practically aching for time off. It was difficult to say what she might do first, though she was certain a trip to the spa would be near the top.

Yukina said nothing, scooting around everyone else and heading off down the hallway where only three rooms lay.

"_Ayethat'llbethebathroom,andthosearethebedrooms. Weonlyhadtwo!" _Jin added hastily to Kurama, who simply shrugged.

"I will happily sleep on such a lavish couch." Kurama assured Jin. "I dare say I have slept in far less wholesome places."

_"AhKuramayou'reagoodun." _Jin smiled, crossing his arms over his chest. "_I'mfixintoaddafewmoreroomsuphere, Iwanteveryonetohaveaplacetosleep!" _

During this entire exchange, Yukina opened the door to one of the master suits. Entering, she shut the door at once so that they were all left in a rather uncomfortable silence.

There was no point in attempting to make Yukina enjoy herself if she was going to fight and struggle the whole way. Kuwabara knew this and so instead had to content himself with making their time at the resort as peaceful as possible. Yukina was lost to him at times, afloat on a sea with no bottom in blackest waters that swarmed with dark thoughts he couldn't relieve her of. It was highly possible that she needed to speak to a therapist, or someone who could at least ease the pressure from her shoulders. Yet had Yukina refused all these things in the past, and it seemed even the subject of speaking to someone about Hiei made her angry for days at a time. Kuwabara couldn't keep going on in such a way, walking on egg shells and hoping that he made her happy. He missed her charming smile and the way the sounds of birds had delighted her. He longed to see her laugh at a joke, or just crack the tiniest of smiles. Something to assure him that she could be moved... that she could learn to live without her brother.

The others went to dinner without Kuwabara or Yukina, unable to make her leave her room in time for their reservations. It was fine enough with Kuwabara, who had ate most of his life out of fridge and for whom room service was just as good as a dine out experience. So with cheeseburger in hand and a beer to boot, he found himself upon the veranda overlooking the sea shore in a most melancholy mood. He'd ordered freshly made chips as well as a pickle, and was delighted to find that it was a large pickle (not some half-ass wimp pickle that some of the restaurants would give out) that complemented his meal. His greasy hands were slightly problematic though, and he had to wipe them on his khaki shorts since he was already out of napkins. They'd delivered on pickles, but they'd fallen short on napkins. It didn't matter. He was happy with a big pickle.

A presence in the back of Kuwabara's mind warned him that someone was watching him. He was unsurprised by this, but he was slightly irritated when he heard the flick of a bik lighter and began to smell cigarette smoke.

"Dude, quit it." Kuwabara chuckled, looking around to find Yusuke Urameshi smiling in the doorway of the veranda with a telltale cigarette in hand and a fancy green jacket over his shoulder. It seemed that Keiko had done some shopping for him before they'd come. Still, Yusuke had managed to sneak a pack of cigarettes in somehow; he sauntered onto the veranda to take a seat beside Kuwabara on the cheap plastic furniture that had been installed to endure beach weather. He looked thoroughly exhausted, not to mention a size bigger in the waist. Clearly dinner had been good.

"The smell of your burger is going to make me puke. I ate way too much." He groaned at this. Kuwabara couldn't help but smile even as Yusuke took another drag of his cigarette.

"Was it good?"

"Hell yeah it was good!" Yusuke laughed. "It was damn delicious. As if Jin would give us anything less. If we're going to eat like this for the rest of the time here, I swear man... I'm going to have to get bigger pants. You eat good?"

"Oh yeah." Kuwabara nodded, finishing off the last of his chips with a crunch and tossing the wrapper into his delivery bag which he crumpled under his chair. "Big pickle and all that."

"Good. I was wondering what you would do for dinner... she come out yet?"

"Nope." Kuwabara shook his head.

Yusuke took this moment to reach into his shirt pocket to withdraw his pack, from which he bummed another cigarette. He lit it with the end of his own, passing it to Kuwabara who took it feeling only a little guilty.

"Listen... I've been meaning to talk to you about something for a while now and..." Yusuke broke off at this, slightly unsure with how to continue.

"And?" Kuwabara took a drag, rolling his wrist as a gesture.

"Your senses, they're still pretty sharp, right?"

"Sharp as the day I honed 'em.'" Kuwabara nodded proudly at this.

"Have you noticed anything unusual?"

Kuwabara frowned, looking at Yusuke. Yusuke's brown eyes, which had once been large and youthful were now shrewd and narrow, but still warm... so very warm. They were locked on Kuwabara's face, waiting to spot a reaction no matter how tiny. What was Yusuke thinking about?

"Demon in the neighborhood?" Kuwabara asked, "Something we need to take care of?"

"No, no, nothing like that." Yusuke shook his head, looking away for a moment to purse his lips. "I just... it's just..."

No words came for a while.

"Lately I've been feeling like.. somethings... off." Yusuke finally finished, feeling rather lame at this. "Off in a way that I need to take notice of. You know?"

"No. Well-" Kuwabara reproached, suddenly seized with the memories of the times in the past when he'd felt the same.

It had been so strange, now that he'd come to think of it.

"A couple of months ago it rained like hell, you remember?"

"Yeah."

Yusuke took another drag of his cigarette before continuing.

"Right, well I... I just felt something in the air. Something like... someone wanted me to take notice. Like someone wanted me to hear them. But I couldn't because I wasn't listening hard enough." Yusuke shook his head, "It's so weird because I'd always been able to pick up on that shit, easy you know? That was my job! That was our job... for years." Yusuke paused again. "But I couldn't. I couldn't figure it out."

Kuwabara swallowed.

"She's so... stuck." It was the only word that fit in Kuwabara's mind. Yusuke looked at him, true worry on his face as Kuwabara's own crumpled momentarily. "When we ran from that castle, and he didn't follow... it's like she... like she got stuck there too. Like I ran out with a different Yukina."

Kuwabara shook his head.

"Gotta admit she's changed a bit." Yusuke agreed, "But is it permanent or is it just a phase. That's the real question. I mean-" at this he turned to his old friend, "If it _is _permanent do you still want to marry her?"

This brought about a great emotion in Kuwabara, full of self loathing and confusion. It was difficult to say what his answer would be. Kuwabara loved Yukina- had loved her from the moment he first laid eyes on her through a t.v. screen- but Yukina simply wasn't herself anymore. She was someone different, someone that Kuwabara could not understand nor consol. He didn't blame her or judge her; losing a twin was a horrific thing to undergo. Yukina had taken the loss like a cannonball through the gut, losing something special about herself that seemed almost essential for life to exist in their relationship...

"Sorry I shouldn't have brought that shit up." Yusuke consoled him, putting out his cigarette and tossing it over the edge of the veranda so that it fell endlessly into the dark. "It's just she's been so reclusive, I figured it might be affecting you. You remember what she said in the first place... y'know back when we returned her to the Hokaido range the very first time? After she'd been kidnapped?"

"Yeah." Kuwabara sighed heavily, that old morose feeling back upon him once more. "It's just- it's not that I don't feel bad that Hiei's gone. I do! I just... don't feel as bad as Yukina. He was never here for us. He was never that much of a teammate."

"Take that back." Yusuke disagreed, "He wasn't as open, that's all. But he was there. He fought Sensui right alongside you and Kurama... and that stood for a lot."

"Yeah but that shrimp was such a shit!" Kuwabara scorned, a deep inner anger bursting out of him for just a second. He immediately regretted it, and looked away at once so that Yusuke could not see the burning shame in his eyes. Yusuke, however, was not one to judge.

"I know you two had issues but you gotta remember... he loved Yukina. Hell I think he loved her more than anyone else in the world." Yusuke paused at this, remembering all the times in the past when he had had the chance to speak to Hiei on the subject of his twin, "When we let her go after she'd been kidnapped, I told Hiei that he was passing up on his last chance to let her know the truth. He just said _'I am a rogue and a felon. Even you have had to come after me. Do you think she'd really want to know her long lost brother was a criminal. It's better to watch her at a distance." _Yusuke even took the liberty of using a deep sneering voice (the very same he'd taunted Hiei with once upon a time after the death of Sniper). Kuwabara rubbed his face with his hands, exhausted by the topic.

"He loved her." Yusuke repeated, this time making sure Kuwabara was looking at him. "He loved her with his whole damn shriveled black midget heart."

The joke broke the tension between them, and both men laughed at the jab.

"...Yeah..." Kuwabara murmured.

"Question is... do you love her- and _don't _you get all crazy on me!" Yusuke warned loudly, for Kuwabara turned beet red and looked quite ready to shout at Yusuke for even insinuating that he did not. "I'm not trying to say that you don't love her! Okay? I'm just saying..." But Yusuke couldn't find the proper words, for even the damn suggestion seemed horrid in and of itself. So instead he stopped talking all together.

Neither men were aware of the fact that they were being listened to.

Had they been able to pull themselves out of their conversation, they might have noticed that someone was watching them... listening to every word they said.

Yukina gathered her coat about her shoulders, turning away to retreat to her bedroom once more.

When it came to vacationing Keiko had a system. She scoured her location, found its elements, and then used them to her best interest. The boys were all eager to go scuba diving, with Yusuke insisting that he was going to find a shark and challenge it to a fight just for bragging rights. Kurama was much more sophisticated in his duels, instead betting on rounds of golf and promptly emptying everyone of their pocket change. Keiko, for all her determinations to be self-reliant and refusing pampering wanted nothing more than to go to the spa... and so she did (dragging Yukina along of course)

"Oh this is heaven." Keiko groaned with her face smooshed unattractively into the massage bed next to Yukina who was likewise on her stomach.

Upon their backs, a pair of young demonesses with delicate fingers that sought out each pin point of pressure and stress took great cares to undo every knot that Keiko had bore into her muscles for the past two decades. Yukina was far less knotted, and so instead her own demoness had placed flat black rocks upon her spine that were charmingly warm. Tiny needles dotted their shoulders and necks, tweaked every now and then as the chiropractic twins popped knot after knot in the girls backs. The packed spa was full of heavy groans sounding like a whore house though in fact it was simply a gaggle of women being treated to long over due restorations.

"Why was I so resentful?" Yukina mumbled into her mattress, feeling featherlight as her demoness methodically twisted her needles in an acupuncture therapy.

"You've been having a hard time." Keiko sighed, understanding but more overly relaxed to the point of bonelessness. "I don't blame you for feeling on edge."

"Yusuke asked Kazuma last night if he still loved me." Yukina added, to which Keiko made a deep throaty growl like a bear coming out of hibernation far too early.

"Don't worry about him." Keiko muttered, "I'll give him what he deserves when we get back home."

"Am I so hard to love?"

"No. You're depressed. He's hard to love." Keiko corrected her, "And he's got some damn- ah!-" Keiko broke off momentarily as her demoness pulled her arm so that it cracked at a pressure point. "Some damn nerve when he put me on a goose chase for three years."

"Am I depressed? I think I'm going mad." Yukina didn't sound happy about it, "I keep feeling like someone's watching me when no one's there."

"Maybe it's your demon senses getting confused in human world. It must be difficult adjusting."

"Keiko, I've lived here for years." Yukina assured her, recalling how bizarre it had been to meet Genkai for the first time- to smell a thousand different things at once- "It's not that. I swear someone is watching me."

"Well don't worry. If someone is watching you, Kuwabara will get them." Keiko paused, momentarily lulled into a light slumber as her masseuse began to beat her rhythmically.

Yukina did not have the strength to argue with this feeble logic. She too was being beaten now, and by the end of the entire session she had forgotten the conversation entirely.

After being massaged, Yukina and Keiko were both rubbed all over with a thin layer of sweet smelling soap that cleansed the skin and tingled in the mist of the sauna. For ten minutes they were to rest, their faces massaged while they waited for the soap to crust into a white powder that was to be washed off in the communal shower. The shower was nothing more than a large round room with sprays set every two feet or so around the wall. A large drain in the middle kept water from pooling on the tile, and little wooden pews for sitting were excellent after such an intense session. It was difficult to stand on legs that felt like jelly. The two girls entered and Keiko bathed quickly. Yukina, however, did not rush her experience, feeling quite content in the warm flush as mist concealed her surroundings.

"I'm going to get a foot massage." Keiko announced as she left the shower room. "Do you want me to book you one?"

"No." Yukina shook her head, slickened aqua strands sticking to her neck and face, "I'm going to go back to the room when I'm finished. I need a nap."

"I'm right behind you." Keiko agreed with a chortle, closing the door to the outside quickly so that the steam could not be let out.

Now left alone, Yukina took her time more than ever, using the suds of her soap to coat her pale skin with a pink sheen. She smelt like rose blossoms, and it contented her as she remember how beautiful spring was in Japan. When the cherry blossoms came into bloom, she would travel to the hills to see them and sample sweet ice with Kazuma. It would be nice to have the sun on her face again.

As Yukina turned her back on the room and lifted her face into the spray, she felt a great shift in a current of air behind her as if someone had passed only inches from her skin. She looked around at once, having thought herself alone in the shower until now. It was difficult to see through all the steam.

She turned back around, having found no one there.

Yukina paused in her ministrations after a while, feeling rather uneasy as if someone was watching her from behind. She turned, looking over her shoulder only to see steam rising in thermal columns. Returning to the spray to finish her bathing, Yukina continued to wash herself with the sweet soaps.

There is was again... that feeling.

Yukina stopped bathing, and let her sponge drop from her hand. It fell with a wet plop onto the tiled floor. Her heart was hammering in her chest, hammering so fast that it felt like she would have a heart attack. Her fingers were trembling, turning bright pink with the heat of the water as she looked ever downward to the swirling water at her feet.

Without warning, there came the feeling of a hand upon her shoulder, firm and hard.

Yukina whipped around, too frightened to scream, but her gaze was met with nothing save for steam. The pressure was at once lifted from her shoulder, and she reached around with her opposite hand to touch her skin... testing for sensitivity.

She pulled her hand back, looking at her fingertips as a strange smell hit the air.

Blood.

Her fingers were coated in blood.

Yukina screamed as loud as she possibly could, screamed so loud that her voice could have had the power to render the entire scene in twain. She screamed for someone to hear her, for someone with sense to come and save her, to come and bring her back some shred of the life she'd once known. She screamed and she screamed, unable to know what any of the signs meant anymore... only wishing that they would stop.

Upon her back, invisible to her own eyes, a bloody hand print lay.


End file.
